First Annual Local Hire Report Released; Appointment of Local Hire Director & Formation of Advisory Committee to Strengthen Local Hire Policies to Put San Francisco Residents Back to Work

3/27/12—Today Mayor Edwin M. Lee joined Supervisor John Avalos, City Administrator Naomi M. Kelly, City departments, construction industry partners and community supporters to celebrate the one year implementation anniversary of the landmark San Francisco Local Hiring Policy for Construction. The Mayor released the first Local Hire annual report showing the City reached 34 percent local hiring on City-funded construction projects, significantly exceeding the first year goal of 20 percent. Mayor Lee also announced the formation of a Local Hire Advisory Committee and the appointment of new Local Hire Director Pat Mulligan to ensure that the Local Hire policy continues provide jobs to San Francisco residents who need them most.

“On the first anniversary of our historic Local Hire law, we are proving that we can rebuild our City’s infrastructure and ensure our public investments are creating local jobs for San Franciscans,” said Mayor Lee. “As our economy recovers, we must continue implementing the next steps of our Local Hire law to ensure that City investments in rebuilding our roads, parks and sewers keep putting City residents back to work. I want to thank members of the Board of Supervisors and the community for their strong support and advocacy for reaching our Local Hire goals in the last year.”

In December of 2010, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted the Local Policy for Construction, which amended Chapter 6.22(G) of the San Francisco Administrative Code. The Policy transitioned from “good faith” efforts for local hiring on City construction projects to mandatory levels of San Francisco resident participation. The Ordinance is among the most ambitious and far-reaching policies on local hire in the country.

“We are rebuilding San Francisco and putting San Franciscans to work with the strongest local hire ordinance in the country,” said Supervisor Avalos. “Today’s report highlights that we are doing just that, hiring within our communities and working together as a City to make sure that we are putting San Franciscans back to work.”

“San Francisco’s local hire law is putting San Franciscans to work, and we have implemented the program in a cost-efficient manner,” said City Administrator Kelly. “This report shows the community the progress we've made and charts a course for sustaining our economic recovery. Our new Local Hire Advisory Committee and Local Hire Director will help ensure we stay the course and meet our goals under the Law next year as well.”

The first Local Hire annual report, produced by the City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, found that the City reached 34 percent local hiring on City funded construction projects, 14 percent above the first year goal of 20 percent. On March 25, 2012, the requirement goal escalated to 25 percent. Overall, 153 San Francisco residents out of a total of 542 workers have worked on 22 of the active Local Hiring projects in the first year of the Policy’s implementation.

In its first year in implementation, City-funded public works and improvement projects were required to meet 20 percent local resident participation by trade, and 50 percent local apprentice participation by trade. The report shows that the 22 City construction projects performed work hours that have yielded 34 percent in San Francisco resident participation across all trades, and 68 percent for apprentice hours.

Mayor Lee also announced the formation of a Local Hire Advisory Committee to include City staff, labor unions, contractors, and community representatives. Committee members will be appointed by the Mayor and will provide guidance on the implementation of the policy, give feedback on key decisions such as trade exemption requests and provide a broader forum for feedback on the Local Hire Policy.

To help with the City’s efforts to train and hire local residents for the City’s capital infrastructure improvement projects, Mayor Lee appointed Pat Mulligan as the City’s new Local Hire Director. Mulligan will not only move ahead in aggressively continuing the City’s progress in implementing the policy, but will also work to innovate and find creative solutions to ensure San Francisco residents are given opportunities to apply for and train for our local jobs. Mulligan previously served as the Financial Secretary of Carpenters Local 22 and is a Trustee of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council. A San Francisco native and a graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz, Mulligan has served as a construction professional for the past 25 years.

Today’s announcement took place at the Cayuga Clubhouse and Playground, a $5.5 million rebuild of a small park in the Cayuga Terrace neighborhood as part of the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond, which is one of 22 projects that have performed work hours under the Ordinance in its first year. Once complete, this park will feature a new clubhouse, upgraded children’s play areas, improved pathways, and new court as well as improvements to the irrigation system, landscaping, and the park’s basic infrastructure.

Aggressively implementing San Francisco’s landmark Local Hire Ordinance to ensure that City-funded projects hire San Franciscans and employ local contractors as well as working with public-sector employers to prioritize hiring San Franciscans and San Francisco contractors are critical parts of Mayor Lee’s 17-Point Economic Plan for Good Jobs & Opportunity for San Francisco.

More information about Local Hire, go to: www.WorkforceDevelopmentSF.org, email Local.Hire.Ordinance@sfgov.org or call the Local Hire Hotline at 415-581-2363.